Kant vs. Augustine on Authority

“Sapere Aude!” Dare to Know! Immanuel Kant proudly proclaims in his essay “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?” As he points out, every man, woman, and child possesses the innate ability to reason and derive knowledge from the world around them. However, in this bold statement, to “dare” implies something more than just the collection of facts. It entails a personal commitment, something that one must consciously seek out

Most men are not as fortunate as Augustine. It seems that they have become so accustomed to living a life of immaturity that they are never able to reach a state of enlightenment. This has allowed other men such as politicians, doctors, and lawyers to step up and easily assume power over these people by making decisions for them. Even people in such positions of power are often unenlightened because they act according to the advice of advisors or the general will rather than following their own sound judgment. History has reiterated this principle time and again. Men such as Hitler and Stalin were wonderful orators who had the ability to put to shame even the most skillful sophists of antiquity. Yet their actions led to the devastation of an immense number of lives and many of the repercussions are still felt even to this day. If their followers had acted on their own beliefs rather than blindly following those of their leaders and the general will, many such tragedies could have been easily avoided.

Augustine, in contrast, believes that humans are by nature sinful and flawed and that human reasoning is futile and falls short of that which is required for a good and proper life. For these reasons he would point out that one should not attempt to make important decisions for his or her self, but rather should turn to God for guidance. Human knowledge reflects God’s understanding in much the same way that the physical world reflects the Platonic world of true forms; it is flawed yet carries a certain degree of significance and truth. Augustine’s view that “if you are your own boss you are ipso facto your own slave” is true to a certain extent, but this merely provides a system of checks and balances and does not work to limit our ability. Humans are composed

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